


Albion House Speech

by J93



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-11 04:32:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11141076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J93/pseuds/J93
Summary: I wrote this speech to read out at the first anniversary of Albion House, an autistic drop-in centre.Unfortunately I recently had a falling out with the newly implemented socialist manegement that turned a great place into a hellhole. They threw away 4 years of trust with me and has made me paranoid of who to trust amoung some, if not all, of my friends.I haven't been allowed back into the building since April apart from my ocassional session where a new accusation is thrown at me and I have to defend myself.





	Albion House Speech

Hello, my name is Jake and I have been coming to Albion House for some time now. It’s hard to believe that it’s been open a year already!

 **First Day**  
I first heard of Albion House straight after my diagnosis. My first day was like everyone else’s – I was nervous, scared and anxious. I did not know what to expect coming here that day. I did not know a thing about autism, other than what I occasionally saw on TV.

So I came here on my first day worried out of my mind. I walked in and the first thing I noticed was that it was quiet, which made a change from the normally loud sociable/interaction stuff that I'm used to. There were not much people that day, which was a relief. Then I walked upstairs and met the staff and it was them that made me feel more relaxed, because they knew that I would be feeling rather anxious that day, so instead they made me feel at home.

 **Confidence Growing**  
After that day, I would grow more courage and confidence within myself to visit from time to time, mainly for the Adult Diagnosis Groups, which helped me understand autism a lot more, with everyone contributing a part of themselves and relating to one another, as I did.

When the group had finished, I began to come in and socialise with other people. Normally, this was a task I would find absolutely impossible to do, but because of knowing that everyone had just as much difficulty than I did, it made it much more easy for me to relate and interact.

 **The People**  
Also it’s not just been the staffs that are wonderful, here at Albion. But it’s the interesting people who drop in. Whether you had similar experiences, hobbies and interests there is always something interesting and exciting to talk about. Whether it is someone talking about their past jobs or a piece of art they are working on, the fact is you will never have a boring conversation with someone who walks through those doors. This has made not just me, but newcomers feel at ease when entering.

 **The Community**  
If there was one word to describe Albion, it would be “community”. If there was something wrong, you could talk about it amongst friends and they would understand, not judge. If you needed help, you would get it without second thought, and if you were having a difficult time and needed guidance then someone would be there for you, and they would listen with care. Albion has created this community where we can have someone here, whether a staff member or service user, to talk to and not feel like they are an “outsider” among their own, instead they will know their part of this community.

 **End Note**  
Albion House has changed so much within a year that I can't imagine what the place would be like in another. All I can say is that I look forward to whatever it is. If there was one thing I can guarantee to look forward to, it would be progress. Progress in the world of autism where we now have places, like Albion, where people on the spectrum can visit and socialise. But even progress doesn’t have to be anything more than a person. A person can change from a social hermit to a chatty person given a few months of this place and go on and become someone so much more than they themselves did not anticipate.

Before I came to Albion, I was shy, uncomfortable, unmotivated and, above all, uncertain with my future. Then I was diagnosed with autism, which do not help my anxiety. But then I came here and found out I was not alone, and it assured me that my future is not bleak as it would seem at first. Instead I grew as person into someone who can come to terms with their autism and use it as a positive rather than a negative.

I look forward to seeing new people coming in and to watch them grow as a person. After all, there are some who have likely travelled some distance just to come here. I myself would sometimes be afraid of getting on a bus or train, because it would be something I was not use to, but what made me go through with it was me telling myself that I'm going to Albion and that's worth any effort.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this speech to read out at the first anniversary of Albion House, an autistic drop-in centre.
> 
> Unfortunately I recently had a falling out with the newly implemented socialist manegement that turned a great place into a hellhole. They threw away 4 years of trust with me and has made me paranoid of who to trust amoung some, if not all, of my friends.
> 
> I haven't been allowed back into the building since April apart from my ocassional session where a new accusation is thrown at me and I have to defend myself.


End file.
